Tanium & AstraZeneca secure endpoints in 125 countries
Tanium, a provider of Converged Endpoint Management (XEM), has successfully collaborated with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to secure over 125,000 endpoints in 125 countries via its XEM platform. The initiative allowed AstraZeneca to streamline multiple endpoint-management tools, enhancing agility, efficiency, and visibility across its operations while mitigating the risk of cyber-attacks.
Jeff Haskill, Vice President of Enterprise Technology Services at AstraZeneca, highlighted the importance of maintaining operational uptime. "Downtime means the patient doesn’t win, and I want the patient to win. I want, in a sustainable way, to get them their prescription medicine as soon as possible," he said. "We know if we are delivering, our scientists don’t have to be slowed down. They can come in and focus on what they are amazing at: creating better outcomes for patients."
AstraZeneca’s achievement in leveraging the Tanium XEM platform is partly attributed to its partnerships with ServiceNow and Microsoft. Integration with ServiceNow has improved cross-collaboration between IT and operations teams, providing trusted visibility, control, and remediation through a comprehensive, real-time Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Meanwhile, collaboration with Microsoft has opened new possibilities in automation, particularly with the recent launch of Microsoft Copilot for Security. This product aims to enhance organisational resiliency with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and usability for security teams by offering real-time insights across all endpoints.
Steve Daheb, Chief Marketing Officer at Tanium, underscored the significance of real-time endpoint visibility and rapid updates. "The immensity of AstraZeneca’s global endpoints reinforces the importance of having real-time visibility as well as the ability to make updates on those endpoints at speed and scale," he said. "Tanium’s XEM platform enables AstraZeneca to be proactive in breaking down traditional silos and reducing the complexity, cost, and risks associated with deploying multiple point solutions."
Another vital feature of the Tanium XEM platform for AstraZeneca was its ability to significantly reduce patching time. Previously, AstraZeneca’s ground-patching program required an entire week, but with Tanium, the process now takes only ten minutes. Additionally, during the global Log4j cybersecurity incidents in late 2021, Tanium helped AstraZeneca rapidly scan its IT environment for vulnerabilities and deploy updates within five days.
In related news, Tanium has been honoured with the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award in the 2024 Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Innovation category. The award recognises Tanium's innovative use of Microsoft Copilot AI and Cloud advanced services, which has pushed the boundaries of current technology. Integrating Tanium’s real-time endpoint data into Microsoft’s Copilot for Security, an AI-powered product, enables security professionals from companies like AstraZeneca to benefit from real-time visibility and AI-driven cybersecurity.
Rob Jenks, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Tanium, expressed his views on the partnership. "Tanium's real-time endpoint intelligence is the driving force that allows customers to leverage AI to quickly identify risks, investigate incidents and accelerate response. This significantly reduces incident workload and addresses resource constraints while also mitigating risks faster," he said. "It’s an honour to again receive a partner award that celebrates our joint product innovation, solutions that significantly improve our customers' security posture."
Tanium’s collaboration with Microsoft extends to other areas, including governance, analytics, identity, orchestration, data operations, risk, and asset management. This helps customers optimise their investments in Microsoft platforms while reducing complexity and risks. Specific solutions include Microsoft Copilot for Security, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Intune/SCCM, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Microsoft’s Chief Partner Officer, Nicole Dezen, congratulated the winners of this year’s Partner of the Year Awards, highlighting the role of artificial intelligence in driving innovation. "The momentum generated by numerous AI and Copilot announcements this year fuelled innovation from our partners, enabling groundbreaking services and solutions to customers," she said. "I am inspired by the capability and creativity in our partner ecosystem and this year's winners beautifully demonstrate the best of what’s possible with AI and the Microsoft Cloud."
